THIEF BOUGHT CHRISTMAS TREE WITH £600 FOUND IN CAR PARK
Customer had dropped bum bag with cash
DISHONEST Sylvester Nowak stole £600 he found on a car park.
The cash, which was stored in a ‘bum bag’, had been dropped by a customer at a plumbing merchants in Fenton.
Magistrates at North Staffordshire Justice Centre heard 51-year-old Nowak spotted the bag and took it for himself, spending the money on food, alcohol and a Christmas tree.
Now he has been ordered to pay the money back – at a rate of £20 per month.
Prosecutor Karen Wright said: “On December 11, the injured party had gone to CHP Plumbing Merchants. He had £1,500 in cash in a black leather bum bag. He bought a boiler for £900, so had £600 remaining in the bag.
“Afterwards, he noticed the bag was missing. He believed it had fallen on the ground. He went back to the merchants to make inquiries. The manager checked the CCTV which showed the bag fall from the complainant’s waist, onto the floor, before he drove away.
“It then showed a male – this defendant – pick up the bum bag and leave the scene.”
The court heard Nowak, who is from Poland, was tracked down to his then address in Oldfield Street, Fenton. When police interviewed him, he admitted taking the bag. When asked why he did not hand it in, he said it was because there was no information by which to identify the owner.
In a statement, the victim said: “I need that money. I’m so angry someone would just take it and spend it when it wasn’t theirs.” Nowak, who now has no fixed address, went on to plead guilty to theft. Mark Bromley, mitigating, told magistrates: “You are dealing with a gentleman who is homeless and lives in abandoned properties. He does not claim benefits. He does odd jobs as and when he can.
“On this day, he was doing a plumbing job so went to the plumbing merchants. He noticed the black bag on the car park. He thought it was a tobacco pouch so picked it up without looking inside.
“When he did look inside, he realised it contained cash and nothing else. He is adamant there was £310 in the bag, not £600.
“He tells me that in Poland, if you find something on the street and there is no method of identifying the owner, the law states the finder is legally allowed to keep that item. Mr Nowak thought the same law applied in the UK. He spent the money mainly on food, a small Christmas tree and some alcohol.”
Magistrates decided not to impose a fine, but ordered Nowak to pay £600 back to the victim, at a rate of £20 per month.